Management of excessive gingival display: Lip repositioning technique

The lips form the frame of a smile and define the esthetic zone. Excessive gingival display during smile is often referred to as gummy smile. A successful management of excessive gingival display with lip repositioning procedure has shown excellent results. The procedure involves removing a strip of partial thickness mucosa from maxillary vestibule, then suturing it back to the lip mucosa at the level of mucogingival junction. This technique results in restricted muscle pull and a narrow vestibule, thereby reducing the gingival display. In this case gummy smile was treated by modification of Rubinstein and Kostianovsky's surgical lip repositioning technique which resulted in a harmonious smile.